Thoughts in a few paragraphs…

Was it like Cerezo could earn a point or lost 2 points? Both can be true. Yoichiro Kakitani found the back of the net in the 6th minute after excellent pass exchange between Kota Mizunuma and Takaki Fukumitsu, but it was wrongly judged as offside (I know I’m not a football specialist so I don’t usually assert such a thing but it was undeniably not offside). Not just that, Cerezo had several more chances to score but failed to turn them into goals. So, in a sense, they lost 2 points they might have a fair chance to get.

At the same time, it can also be said that Cerezo could earn a point. The brand new Marinos under former Australia manager Ange Postecoglou basically employed 4-1-2-3 but it changed to something like 3-2-2-3 as both fullbacks took more central position when attacking (It is said it was “Manchester City-like” as in the headline of Sankei Sports article but I’m not sure how much it was similar to City because I don’t often watch their game). How to deal with it was very difficult, especially considering that this was the season’s first match and Cerezo might lack enough information. That’s why it can also be said they could earn a point.

“We don’t need to think negatively,” Yoichiro Kakitani told the official media after the game. “Everything doesn’t always go well.” It’s true that “we more or less had trouble (with Marinos’ tactics), but once we got momentum, we didn’t care about their formation.” Kakitani talked with the linesman who rejected his goal just after the full time whistle, but it was not like complaining but asking explanation, which showed his development as a person. Takaki Fukumitsu, who was selected to the starting lineup in a league game for the first time, said he was “full of disappointment because of not scoring or assisting a goal, but we should think positively that we didn’t lose.”